January 21Birthdays & History

On this day: January 21 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 763Following the Battle of Bakhamra between Alids and Abbasids near Kufa, the Alid rebellion ends with the death of Ibrahim, brother of Isa ibn Musa.Middle East
2. 1525The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and about a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz's mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union.Europe
3. 1535Following the Affair of the Placards, the French king leads an anti-Protestant procession through Paris.Europe
4. 1720Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm.Europe
5. 1749The Teatro Filarmonico in Verona is destroyed by fire, as a result of a torch being left behind in the box of a nobleman after a performance. It is rebuilt in 1754.Europe
6. 1774Abdul Hamid I becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Caliph of Islam.Middle East
7. 1789The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth by William Hill Brown, is printed in Boston.North America
8. 1793After being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.Europe
9. 1824The Ashantis defeat British forces in the Gold Coast during the First Anglo-Ashanti War.EuropeAfrica
10. 1854The RMS Tayleur sinks off Lambay Island on her maiden voyage from Liverpool to Australia with great loss of life.EuropeOceania
11. 1893The Tati Concessions Land, formerly part of Matabeleland, is formally annexed to the Bechuanaland Protectorate, now Botswana.Africa
12. 1908New York City passes the Sullivan Ordinance, making it illegal for women to smoke in public, only to have the measure vetoed by the mayor.North America
13. 1911The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.Europe
14. 1915Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit.North America
15. 1919A revolutionary Irish parliament is founded and declares the independence of the Irish Republic. One of the first engagements of the Irish War of Independence takes place.Europe
16. 1925Albania declares itself a republic.Europe
17. 1931Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia.Oceania
18. 1932Finland and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression treaty.Europe
19. 1941Sparked by the murder of a German officer in Bucharest, Romania, the day before, members of the Iron Guard engage in a rebellion and pogrom killing 125 Jews.Europe
20. 1942The Jewish resistance organization, Fareynikte Partizaner Organizatsye, based in the Vilna Ghetto is established.Europe
21. 1945The Trade Union Council of Transcarpathian Ukraine is founded in Mukachevo.Europe
22. 1948The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec. The day is marked annually as Québec Flag Day.North America
23. 1950American lawyer and government official Alger Hiss is convicted of perjury.North America
24. 1951The catastrophic eruption of Mount Lamington in Papua New Guinea claims 2,942 lives.Oceania
25. 1954The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut by Mamie Eisenhower, the First Lady of the United States.North America
26. 1960Avianca Flight 671 crashes at Montego Bay, Jamaica airport, killing 37 people.Latin America
27. 1960Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia, with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey, on board.North America
28. 1960A coal mine collapses at Holly Country, South Africa, killing 435 miners.Africa
29. 1963The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad ends operation.North America
30. 1968A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete.North America
31. 1968Vietnam War, Battle of Khe Sanh: One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the war begins.Asia
32. 1971The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts.Europe
33. 1976Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes.EuropeMiddle East
34. 1980Iran Air Flight 291 crashes in the Alborz Mountains while on approach to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, killing 128 people.Middle East
35. 1981Production of the DeLorean sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.Europe
36. 1985Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 crashes near Reno–Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, killing 70 people.North America
37. 1986Conservative protestors attack a mock shanty town that had been erected on the Green at Dartmouth College as part of anti-apartheid protests.North America
38. 1997The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395–28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.North America
39. 1999War on drugs: In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepts a ship with over 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) of cocaine on board.North America
40. 2000Ecuador: After the Ecuadorian Congress is seized by indigenous organizations, Col. Lucio Gutiérrez, Carlos Solorzano and Antonio Vargas depose President Jamil Mahuad. Gutierrez is later replaced by Gen. Carlos Mendoza, who resigns and allows Vice-President Gustavo Noboa to succeed Mahuad.Latin AmericaNorth America
41. 2003A 7.6 magnitude earthquake strikes the Mexican state of Colima, killing 29 and leaving approximately 10,000 people homeless.Latin America
42. 2004NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Earth on February 6.North America
43. 2005In Belmopan, Belize, the unrest over the government's new taxes erupts into riots.Latin America
44. 2009Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip, officially ending a three-week war it had with Hamas. However, intermittent fire by both sides continues in the weeks to follow.Middle East
45. 2011Anti-government demonstrations take place in Tirana, Albania. Four people die from gunshots, allegedly fired from armed police protecting the Prime Minister's office.Europe
46. 2014Rojava conflict: The Jazira Canton declares its autonomy from the Syrian Arab Republic.AsiaMiddle East
47. 2017Over 400 cities across America and 160+ countries worldwide participate in a large-scale women's march, including in Portland, on Donald Trump's first full day as President of the United States.North America
48. 2023Huu Can Tran, 72, opens fire in a dance studio in Monterey Park, California, killing eleven people and injuring nine others before later committing suicide. It is the worst mass shooting in Los Angeles County since the 2008 Covina massacre.North America
49. 2025A fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu Province, Turkey, results in 78 people dead and 51 injured.Middle East

Source: Wikipedia "January 21" / CC BY-SA 4.0